Systems and methods for using not perfectly polarized bit channels in parallel polar codes

ABSTRACT

The disclosed systems, structures, and methods are directed to encoding and decoding information for transmission across a communication channel. The encoding method includes: distributing the information bits between m parallel polar codes such that each of the m parallel polar codes includes a subset of the information bits; splitting the subset of information bits in each of the m parallel polar codes into a protected information section and a full rate information section; protecting information bits in the protected information section of each of the m parallel polar codes; arranging a plurality of frozen bits in each of the m parallel polar codes; and generating a polar encoded codeword for each of the m parallel polar codes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the first filing related to the disclosed technology.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of encoding anddecoding information for transmission over a noisy medium, and moreparticularly to systems and methods for using polar codes to enhancedata transmission reliability.

BACKGROUND

In a data communication system, data are transmitted over a channel froma transmitter to a receiver. Transmitted data are subject to degradationdue to noise in the channel, to the data that are received may not beidentical to the data that were transmitted. The implementation of thetransmitter and receiver depends upon the channel over which the dataare to be transmitted, e.g., whether the channel is wireless, a cable,or an optical fiber.

Forward error correction codes (FECs) provide reliable communications ina one-directional channel by enabling a receiver to detect and correct alimited number of errors. Forward Error Correction (FEC) techniques maybe used to reduce bit error rate (BER). A message may be transmittedusing FEC-encoded bits, which include redundant information, such asparity or check bits. The bit estimates recovered at the receiver areestimates of the FEC-encoded bits generated at the transmitter. Theseestimates may undergo FEC decoding at the receiver based on a chosen FECscheme. The FEC decoding makes use of the redundant information that wasincluded in the FEC-encoded bits in order to detect and correct biterrors. Ultimately, estimates of the original message bits may berecovered from the FEC-decoded bit estimates.

Two basic types of FECs are block FECs and convolution FECs. Block FECssplit the data into blocks, each of which is independently encoded(i.e., independently of other blocks) prior to transmission. Inconvolutional FECs, the encoded data depend on both the current andprevious data.in digital communication scheme.

FECs are important in data transmission systems. For example, inhigh-throughput optical transmission systems, it is not uncommon forforward error correction to consume more than half of the power inoptical digital processing (oDSP). It is, therefore, desirable to designFECs with high coding gain, low latency and low power consumption.

There are many techniques for designing FECs, and many types of FECs areknown in the art (e.g., algebraic code, convolutional turbo code,low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, turbo product codes (TPC), etc.).In 2009, Arikan introduced a kind of block FEC known as “polar codes,”in E. Arikan, “Channel Polarization: A method for Constructing CapacityAchieving Codes for Symmetric Binary-Input Memoryless Channels,” IEEETrans. Inf. Theory, vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 3051-3073 (July 2009). A polarcode is a linear block code that “polarizes” the capacity of bitchannels. That is, after being polarized by the polar block code, thebit channels polarize such that their capacities either approach one(i.e., a perfect channel) or zero (a completely noisy channel). Data arethen sent through the bit channels that have capacities near one, whilepredetermined (e.g., constant) bit values are sent over bit channelsthat have a capacity near zero (these are referred to as “frozen” bits,since their values do not vary). Arikan was able to show that, as thecode length (i.e., the number of bit channels) approaches infinity, thenumber of bit channels with capacity of one, divided by the total numberof bit channels, approaches the channel capacity—i.e., the theoreticalmaximum data rate for the channel (also known as the “Shannoncapacity”).

The polar code decoding algorithm proposed by Arikan is known as“successive-cancellation” (SC) decoding, which can be effectivelyrepresented as a binary tree search. Although SC decoding displaysexcellent performance as the length of the code approaches infinity, itsperformance with short- and medium-length codes is disappointing.Accordingly, many alternative decoding algorithms have been proposed.One of the most frequently cited of these alternatives, known as“successive-cancellation-list” (SCL) decoding was introduced in I. Taland A. Vardy, “List Decoding of Polar Codes,” IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory,vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 2213-2226 (May 2015). SCL decoding combines listdecoding (a decoding technique that has been known since the 1950s) withSC decoding of polar codes, to produce an algorithm that, instead oflooking at a single candidate codeword (as is done in SC decoding),examines a “list” of the Lm most probable candidate codewords. SCLdecoding of polar codes, combined with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC—aclass of error detection codes known since 1961), has been shown to haveerror correction performance comparable to low-density parity-checkcodes. However, both SC and SCL decoders suffer from high latency and itis difficult to implement them in high throughput applications.

Polar codes are the first and, at present, the only class of codes thathave been analytically proven to be able to achieve channel capacitywithin an implementable complexity. While polar codes have thistheoretical advantage over other known FECs, in terms of practicalimplementation, many challenges remain. It would, therefore, bedesirable to develop methods of using polar coding techniques havingincreased coding gain and high throughput.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an encoder and a decoder that usemultiple polar codes in parallel and with cooperation between them. Thiscooperation provides improvements in gain compared to a conventionalpolar code, and using parallel polar codes increases the totalthroughput. The disclosed technology may, therefore, be seen asimproving the reliability and throughput of digital communications.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the technologyis implemented as a method for encoding information bits fortransmission across a communication channel, the method may include:distributing the information bits between m parallel polar codes suchthat each of the m parallel polar codes includes a subset of theinformation bits; splitting the subset of information bits in each ofthe m parallel polar codes into a protected information section and afull rate information section; protecting information bits in theprotected information section of each of the m parallel polar codes;arranging a plurality of frozen bits in each of the m parallel polarcodes; and generating a polar encoded codeword for each of the mparallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are arranged in positionsin non-perfectly polarized bit channels in the respective parallel polarcode of the m parallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, for each of the m parallel polar codes: thepositions in the non-perfectly polarized bit channels are grouped into aplurality of L blocks, wherein each of the plurality of L blocksincludes a subset of the information bits in the protected informationsection.

In some embodiments, a total number of the plurality of blocks in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channels in each of the m parallel polarcodes is determined based on a total number of greater-than-one factorsof m.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are protected using arepetition code.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated in a block of the plurality of L blocks of a secondparallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated d_(i) times in the m parallel polar codes, d_(i) being afactor of m and greater than one.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are protected using aBose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code or a Reed-Muller code.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is amethod for decoding m polar coded codewords received over acommunication channel, each of the m polar coded codewords encodinginformation bits in a plurality of nodes, the method may include, foreach node in each codeword from the m polar coded codewords: when thenode is in a full rate information section: decoding the node based on alog-likelihood ratio (LLR) decoding algorithm to generate a first partof a decoded message; and when the node is in a protected informationsection: decoding the node based on an averaged LLR decoding algorithmto generate a second part of the decoded message.

In some embodiments, a SC or SCL decoder is used to perform the decodingof the node in the codeword.

In some embodiments, the method may further include, for each of the mpolar coded codewords: when a bit in the respective codeword is a frozenbit, generating a decoded bit in the decoded message based on apredetermined value.

In some embodiments, the averaged LLR decoding algorithm is based on:

${LLR}_{k}^{n} = {\frac{1}{K}{\sum\limits_{j = {{{({k - 1})}d_{i}} + 1}}^{{kd}_{i}}{LLR}_{j}^{o}}}$

-   -   where

${1 \leq k \leq \frac{m}{d_{i}}},$

is a total number of repetitions for the node in the m polar codedcodewords, and LLR_(j) ^(o) is the LLR of the node in the respectivecodeword j in them polar coded codewords, j=1 . . . m.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is anencoder that encodes information bits for transmission across acommunication channel, the encoder having a circuitry configured to:distribute the information bits between m parallel polar codes such thateach of the m parallel polar codes includes a subset of the informationbits; split the subset of information bits in each of the m parallelpolar codes into a protected information section and a full rateinformation section; protect information bits in the protectedinformation section of each of the m parallel polar codes; arrange aplurality of frozen bits in each of the m parallel polar codes; andgenerate a polar encoded codeword for each of the m parallel polarcodes.

In some embodiments, the circuitry includes at least one processor and amemory storing programmed instructions that when executed by the atleast one processor cause the at least one processor to encode theinformation bits.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are arranged in positionsin non-perfectly polarized bit channels in the respective parallel polarcode of the m parallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, for each of the m parallel polar codes: thepositions in the non-perfectly polarized bit channels are grouped into aplurality of L blocks, wherein each of the plurality of L blocksincludes a subset of the information bits in the protected informationsection.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are protected using arepetition code.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated in a block of the plurality of L blocks of a secondparallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated d_(i) times in the m parallel polar codes, d_(i) being afactor of m and greater than one.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is adecoder that decodes m polar coded codewords received over acommunication channel, the decoder having a circuitry configured to, foreach node in each codeword from the m polar coded codewords: when thenode is in a full rate information section: decode the node based on alog-likelihood ratio (LLR) decoding algorithm to generate a first partof a decoded message; when the node is in a protected informationsection: decode the node based on an averaged LLR decoding algorithm togenerate a second part of the decoded message; and when a bit in therespective codeword is a frozen bit, generating a decoded bit in thedecoded message based on a predetermined value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an encoder for a polar code such as may be used for polarencoding in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a communication system in which thetechnology of the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 3 shows an example chart in which the bit channel capacities ofthree polar codes are illustrated.

FIG. 4 shows an example chart in which a bit channel capacity of onepolar code is illustrated.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of example parallel polar codes in accordancewith some example embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an encoding method in accordance with someexample embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a decoding method in accordance some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 8 is shows simulation results results of a parallel polar codingmethod in accordance with an implementation of the disclosed technology.

It is to be understood that throughout the appended drawings andcorresponding descriptions, like features are identified by likereference characters. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that thedrawings and ensuing descriptions are intended for illustrative purposesonly and that such disclosures are not intended to limit the scope ofthe claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various representative embodiments of the disclosed technology will bedescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The present technology may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to therepresentative embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, the sizesand relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.Like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elementsshould not be limited by these terms. These terms are used todistinguish one element from another. Thus, a first element discussedbelow could be termed a second element without departing from theteachings of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements maybe present (e.g., indirect connection or coupling). By contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directlycoupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). Additionally, itwill be understood that elements may be “coupled” or “connected”mechanically, electrically, communicatively, wirelessly, optically, andso on, depending on the type and nature of the elements that are beingcoupled or connected.

The terminology used herein is only intended to describe particularrepresentative embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of thepresent technology. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and“the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood thatthe terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, includingany functional block labeled as a “processor,” may be provided throughthe use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executinginstructions, in association with appropriate software instructions.When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a singlededicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality ofindividual processors, some of which may be shared. In someimplementations of the present technology, the processor may be ageneral-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or aprocessor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP). Moreover, explicit use of the term a “processor” shouldnot be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executingsoftware, and may implicitly include, without limitation, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmablegate array (FPGA), a read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, arandom access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware,conventional and/or custom, may also be included.

Software modules, or simply modules or units which are implied to besoftware, may be represented herein as any combination of flowchartelements or other elements indicating the performance of process stepsand/or textual description. Such modules may be executed by hardwarethat is expressly or implicitly shown. Moreover, it should be understoodthat a module may include, for example, but without limitation, computerprogram logic, computer program instructions, software, stack, firmware,hardware circuitry, or a combination thereof, which provides therequired capabilities. It will further be understood that a “module”generally defines a logical grouping or organization of related softwarecode or other elements as discussed above, associated with a definedfunction. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts willunderstand that particular code or elements that are described as beingpart of a “module” may be placed in other modules in someimplementations, depending on the logical organization of the softwarecode or other elements, and that such modifications are within the scopeof the disclosure as defined by the claims.

It should also be noted that as used herein, the term “optimize” meansto improve. It is not used to convey that the technology produces theobjectively “best” solution, but rather that an improved solution isproduced. In the context of memory access, it typically means that theefficiency or speed of memory access may be improved.

As used herein, the term “determine” generally means to make a direct orindirect calculation, computation, decision, finding, measurement, ordetection. In some cases, such a determination may be approximate. Thus,determining a value indicates that the value or an approximation of thevalue is directly or indirectly calculated, computed, decided upon,found, measured, detected, etc. If an item is “predetermined” it isdetermined at any time prior to the instant at which it is indicated tobe “predetermined.”

The present technology may be implemented as a system, a method, and/ora computer program product. The computer program product may include acomputer-readable storage medium (or media) storing computer-readableprogram instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to carry out aspects of the disclosed technology. Thecomputer-readable storage medium may be, for example, an electronicstorage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, anelectromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or anysuitable combination of these. A non-exhaustive list of more specificexamples of the computer-readable storage medium includes: a portablecomputer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), a flash memory, an optical disk, a memory stick, a floppydisk, a mechanically or visually encoded medium (e.g., a punch card orbar code), and/or any combination of these. A computer-readable storagemedium, as used herein, is to be construed as being a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. It is not to be construed as being atransitory signal, such as radio waves or other freely propagatingelectromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through awaveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passingthrough a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted througha wire.

It will be understood that computer-readable program instructions can bedownloaded to respective computing or processing devices from acomputer-readable storage medium or to an external computer or externalstorage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local areanetwork, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. A networkinterface in each computing/processing device may receivecomputer-readable program instructions via the network and forwards thecomputer-readable program instructions for storage in acomputer-readable storage medium within the respective computing orprocessing device. Computer-readable program instructions for carryingout operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions,machine instructions, firmware instructions, configuration data forintegrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written inany combination of one or more programming languages.

All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementationsof the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, areintended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future.Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views ofillustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the presenttechnology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flowdiagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like representvarious processes which may be substantially represented incomputer-readable program instructions. These computer-readable programinstructions may be provided to a processor or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks. These computer-readable program instructions may also be storedin a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, aprogrammable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to functionin a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage mediumhaving instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams,pseudo-code, and the like.

The computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus or other devicesto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce acomputer-implemented process, such that the instructions which executeon the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implementthe functions/acts specified in the flowcharts, flow diagrams, statetransition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like.

In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in flowcharts,flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like mayoccur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocksshown in succession in a flowchart may, in fact, be executedsubstantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It willalso be noted that each of the functions noted in the figures, andcombinations of such functions can be implemented by special-purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orby combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

With these fundamentals in place, some non-limiting examples toillustrate various implementations of aspects of the present disclosureare discussed next.

FIG. 1 shows an encoder 100 for a polar code. As discussed above, apolar code is a linear block code that “polarizes” the capacity of bitchannels (which may also be referred to as sub-channels), such thattheir capacities either approach one (i.e., a perfect channel) or zero(a completely noisy channel). Information bits 102 in a message are thensent via the bit channels that have capacities near one, while frozenbits 104—predetermined constant bit values—are sent over bit channelsthat have a capacity near zero.

Let N and k be positive integers with k N. For an (N, k) block code, itsinput is a vector of k bits and its output is a vector of N bits. Anencoder is an implementation of (N, k) block code, which may be afunction, in software or hardware. N is called the block size or blocklength. k/N may be referred to as the code rate.

A polar encoder 100 generally encodes input bits 106, includinginformation bits 102 and frozen bits 104, and have a total block lengthof N=2^(n), where n is an integer. This may be referred to an (N, k)polar code, with k information bits (i.e., information bits 102) and Nencoded bits 108, leaving (N−k) frozen bits 104. In general, an (N, k)polar code can be defined by an N×N generator matrix G, where:

$G = \begin{bmatrix}1 & 1 \\0 & 1\end{bmatrix}^{\otimes n}$

In the above formulation, [⋅]^(⊗n) denotes the n-fold Kronecker power.Where the input bits 106 are denoted u=[u₁, u₂, . . . , u_(N)]^(T) andthe encoded bits 108 (collectively referred to as the “codeword” x) aredenoted x=[x₁, x₂, . . . , x_(N)]^(T), the codeword is given by x=GBu,where B denotes an N×N bit-reversal permutation matrix. This operationtakes place within the polar encoder 100.

It will be understood that the generator matrix G is only one generatormatrix that results in polarization, and that other generator matricesare also known to produce such polarization. Additionally, although thefrozen bits 104 are shown, for ease of illustration, as being located atthe front within the input bits 106, they may, in fact, be scatteredthroughout the input bits 106.

It will further be understood that complete polarization of the channelsis only achieved at the limit as N 09. For small and mid-sized codelengths N, a polar code will produce channels having a range ofcapacities, which, while still generally polarized toward either 1(i.e., a perfect channel) or 0 (i.e., a completely noisy channel), willnot reach either of these limits. Thus, for real-world polar coding, thek information bits 102 should be placed in the k most reliable (i.e.,highest capacity) locations in u. The N−k frozen bits 104 can be thenplaced in the locations in u having the lowest reliability and areassigned fixed values known to both the encoder 100 and the decoder (notshown in FIG. 1).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication system 200 in which thetechnology of the present disclosure may be implemented. Thecommunication system includes an encoder 202 and transmitter 204, acommunication channel 220, and a receiver 250 and decoder 252.

As already discussed, the communication channel 220 may be, for example,a wireless communication channel, a cable, or an optical fiber. It willbe understood that there may be noise or interference on thecommunication channel 220. As a result of this noise or interference,some of the bits received at the receiver 250 may have been alteredduring transmission, and therefore may not be the same as the bits thatwere transmitted over the communication channel 220 by the transmitter204.

The encoder 202 receives blocks of information (e.g., a message or partof a message) to be transmitted at its input 206, encodes theinformation according to an implementation of the disclosed technologyas described below to produce codewords for transmission over thecommunication channel 220, and forwards the codewords to the transmitter204 for transmission over the communication channel 220. In someimplementations, the encoder 202 includes one or more processors 210 anda memory 212 that includes programmed instructions that cause theprocessors 210 to encode the information as described below. It will beunderstood that in some implementations, the encoder 202 may includealternative or additional hardware or circuitry, e.g., in one or morechipsets, microprocessors, digital signal processors, opticalprocessors, optical digital signal processors, application-specificintegrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),dedicated logic circuitry, or combinations thereof to encode theinformation as described below.

The transmitter 204 transmits the codewords over the communicationchannel 220. Accordingly, the configuration of the transmitter 204 willdepend on the nature of the communication channel 220. In general, thetransmitter 204 is a conventional transmitter for the communicationchannel 220. Accordingly, while not shown, the transmitter 204 mayinclude modules for post-encoding processing, as well as modules orcomponents of a transmit chain for the communication channel 220, suchas modulators, amplifiers, multiplexers, light sources (e.g., foroptical communication), antennas (e.g., for wireless communication),and/or other modules or components of a conventional transmitter.

Similarly, the receiver 250 receives codewords via the communicationchannel 220. Thus, details of the configuration of the receiver 250 willdepend on the nature of the communication channel 220. The receiver 250is a conventional receiver for the communication channel 220 and mayinclude a variety of modules and components of a conventional receivechain (not shown), as well as components (not shown) used for anypre-decoding processing. For example, these modules and components mayinclude antennas (e.g., for wireless communication), optical sensors ordetectors (e.g., for optical communication), demodulators, amplifiers,demultiplexers, and/or other modules or components of a conventionalreceive chain. Codewords received by the receiver 250 are forwarded tothe decoder 252.

The decoder 252 receives codewords from the receiver 250 and decodes thecodewords according to an implementation of the disclosed technology asdescribed below to produce received information which is provided by thedecoder as output 256. In some implementations, the decoder 252 includesone or more processors 260 and a memory 262 that includes programmedinstructions that cause the processors 260 to decode the information asdescribed below. It will be understood that in some implementations, thedecoder 252 may include alternative or additional hardware or circuitry,e.g., in one or more chipsets, microprocessors, digital signalprocessors, optical processors, optical digital signal processors,application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), dedicated logic circuitry, or combinations thereof todecode the information as described below.

FIG. 3 shows an example chart 300 in which the bit channel capacities ofthree polar codes are illustrated. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ofthe communication channel is 3 dB. The x-axis represents ordered bitchannel index divided by the block length, N. In this context, “divided”refers to a mathematical operation. The y-axis represents bit channelcapacity value, where a capacity value of “1” is known as the Shannoncapacity. As can be seen, along all three polar codes transmittedthrough the same environment (e.g., SNR=3 dB), the polar code 310 withthe block length N=256 has the smallest ratio of the number of bitchannels approaching the capacity of 1 or 0 (i.e., the perfectlypolarized bit channels) to the block length 256. The polar code 320 withblock length N=1024 has the second smallest ratio of the number of bitchannels approaching the capacity of 1 or 0 (i.e., the perfectlypolarized bit channels) to the block length 1024. The polar code 330with the block length N=4096 has the largest ratio of the number of bitchannels approaching the capacity of 1 or 0 (i.e., the perfectlypolarized bit channels) to the block length 4096. This demonstrates thatbetter polarization of the channels is achieved when N increases.

FIG. 4 shows an example chart 400 in which a bit channel capacity of onepolar code is illustrated. The x-axis represents ordered bit channelindex divided by the block length, N. In this context, “divided” refersto a mathematical operation. The y-axis represents bit channel capacityvalue. The SNR is assumed to be 3 dB, and the gray area 450 representsan area of bit channels that have a bit channel capacity betweenapproximately 0.05 to 0.95, may be referred to as non-perfectlypolarized bit channels. It is to be appreciated that the definition ofbit channel capacity of non-perfectly polarized bit channels may varybased on a number of factors such as communication channel noise,encoding algorithm efficiency, communication standard (e.g., 4G versus5G), or a type of communication channel (e.g., wireless communicationversus optical communication); for example, in some cases, the bitchannel capacity of non-perfectly polarized bit channels may be definedto be within a range of 0.1 to 0.9 (based on the Shannon Capacity).

As shown in FIG. 4, the ratio of the number of non-perfectly polarizedbit channels to the block length N generally decreases with increasingcode block length N, but for small and mid-sized code lengths N, a polarcode will produce some channels having a range of capacities, which,while still generally polarized toward either 1 (i.e., a perfectchannel) or 0 (i.e., a completely noisy channel), will not reach eitherof these limits. The ratio of perfectly polarized bit channels to thenon-perfectly polarized bit channels (or to the block length N)generally decreases as the block length N decreases.

In a conventional polar code, the non-perfectly polarized bit channelsare typically treated as polarized bit channels: if the capacity of thebit channel approaches 1, full rate information is sent through thechannel; or if the capacity of the bit channel approaches 0, a bit inthe bit channel is treated as a frozen bit. However, the bit channelswithin area 450 are in fact not perfectly polarized and sending fullrate information through these bit channels may result in a higher biterror rate (BER) than sending full rate information through moreperfectly polarized bit channels approaching a capacity of 1, such asthose above area 450 in FIG. 4. On the other hand, treating the bits inthese non-perfectly polarized bit channels as frozen bits may waste thecapacity of the bit channels. The technology in this disclosure utilizesthe non-perfectly polarized bit channels to send information bits usingsome form of protection (safeguarding), such as using repetition codefor these bit channels when sending information bits, as described indetail below. The disclosed technology provides a gain that can supporthigher throughput compared to the conventional polar code, and can beused in 5G wireless communication standard as well.

FIG. 5 illustrates a structure 500 of parallel polar codes in accordancewith the present disclosure. Information bits grouped in various blocksb₁, b₂ . . . , b₂₈ are sent using m parallel polar codes, such that eachof the m parallel polar codes includes an non-empty subset of theinformation bits. (Empty sets and empty subsets are ignored). Someblocks may be repeated among the m parallel polar codes. As shown, inthe illustrated example, there are m parallel polar codes 502 wherem=12, shown along the vertical axis as Polar Code 1-Polar Code 12. Apolar encoded codeword may be generated for each of the m parallel polarcodes 502.

The polar coded information is shown along the horizontal axis, with theleast reliable bit channels at the left, and increasing reliability ofpositions from left to right. Frozen bits 503, labelled as f₁, f₂ . . ., f₁₂, occupy the least reliable bits at the left (i.e., the bitchannels with capacities closest to zero). The information bits in eachpolar code are distributed into two sections, referred to as a ProtectedInformation Section and a Full Rate Information Section. Informationbits 506 (grouped as blocks b₁, b₂ . . . , b₁₂) in the Full RateInformation Section occupy the most reliable bit channels (i.e., the bitchannels with capacities closest to one) and are sent using full rate.The information bits 506 in the Full Rate Information Section may, insome embodiments, be protected using conventional error-correcting codessuch as BCH code or Reed-Muller code.

Information bits 505 (grouped as blocks b₁₃, b₁₄ . . . , b₂₈) in theProtected Information Section occupy the non-perfectly polarized bitchannel positions and are sent using a rate less than one, which means,as described further below in detail, the information bits 505 areprotected in one or more other rows among the m parallel polar codes. Itis to be appreciated that b₁, b₂ . . . to b₂₈ each is a block of bitsand may each include one or more single bits (e.g., binary bits).

In some example embodiments, in each polar code 502 out of the mparallel polar codes 502, the information bits 505 in the non-perfectlypolarized bit channel positions may be grouped into a plurality of Lblocks of bit (simply referred to as “block(s)” hereinafter). Each ofthe L plurality of blocks has a subset of the information bits 505 inthe protected information section. In the example shown in FIG. 5, L=5.The number of bits in each block in the L blocks may vary.

For example, for Polar Code 1, information bits may be grouped into oneof many blocks b₁₃, b₁₄, b₁₆, big and b₂₃. Each of these blocks b₁₃,b₁₄, b₁₆, b₁₉ and b₂₃ may be sent using a different code rate. Forexample, still referring to Polar Code 1, block b₁₃ may be sent using arate 1/12, block b₁₄ may be sent using a rate 1/6, block b₁₆ may be sentusing a rate 1/4, block big may be sent using a rate 1/3, block b₂₃ maybe sent using a rate 1/2. Each of the blocks in the protectedinformation section may be protected using one method or another. Insome embodiments, they may be protected using a repetition code. Inother embodiments, they may be protected usingBose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes. “Protected” or “protection”herein may refer to a bit pattern or coding scheme that provides acertain level of error-correction capabilities.

The number of blocks containing the information bits 505 in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channel positions in each polar code 502 maybe determined by a total number of factors of m that are greater thanone. In the example shown in FIG. 5, m=12, which six factors: 1, 2, 3,4, 6 and 12, five of which are greater than one, so the total number ofblocks b_(n), which may be represented by L, is 5. Each polar code 502then contains five (5) blocks of information bits 505 in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channel positions.

In more general terms, given m parallel polar codes 502, let d_(i)represent the value of a factor of m that is greater than one, insteadof sending m bit blocks or zero bits through the m bit channels,

$\frac{m}{d_{i}}$

blocks of bits 505 is sent through each bit channel in the non-perfectlypolarized bit channels in each of the m parallel polar code 502, andeach bit in the

$\frac{m}{d_{i}}$

blocks of bit may be protected using a repetition code with lengthd_(i). A repetition code with length d_(i) means that the bit (or blockof bits) may be repeated a total of d_(i) times among the m parallelpolar codes 502.

In some embodiments, for a given polar code in the m parallel polarcodes 502, the code rate 1/d_(i) used to transmit a block of bits in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channel positions within the protectedinformation section may be determined by d_(i). As there are five blocksof bits 505 within the protected information section in each polar code502 in the example shown in FIG. 5, each of the five blocks may be sentusing a different code rate, where the code rate may be determined usinga respective, greater-than-one factor of m; here m=12. For example,looking at Polar Code 1, the least reliable bit positions are grouped ina first block (e.g., b₁₃) within the non-perfectly polarized bit channelpositions, and the code rate for this block is 1/12, where d_(i)=12 isthe largest factor of m. As the bit channels increase in reliability inthe non-perfectly polarized bit channel positions, the second block(e.g., b₁₄) may be sent using a code rate of 1/6, where d_(i)=6 is thesecond largest factor of m, the third block (e.g., b₁₆) may be sentusing a code rate of 1/4, where d_(i)=4 is the third largest factor ofm, the fourth block (e.g., big) may be sent using a code rate of 1/3,where d_(i)=3 is the fourth largest factor of m, and the fifth block(e.g., b₂₃) may be sent using a code rate of 1/2, where d_(i)=2 is thesmallest, greater-than-one factor of m.

As mentioned, the code rate “1/d_(i)” also means that the block usingthe code rate 1/d_(i) may be repeated d_(i) times across the m parallelpolar codes 502 using a repetition code. Let L represent the totalnumber of blocks containing the information bits 505 in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channel positions in each polar code 502.When a repetition code is used, the information bits 505 in a block(e.g., b₁₃) of the plurality of L blocks of a first parallel polar code(e.g., Polar Code 1) from the m parallel polar codes are repeated in ablock of the plurality of L blocks of a second parallel polar code(e.g., polar code 2) from the m parallel polar codes. How many times ablock b_(n) is repeated may be represented by the code rate 1/d_(i) usedto send the block b_(n).

In the example shown in FIG. 5, L=5 and m=12. In the column 505 a underrate 1/12, the block (e.g., b₁₃) is repeated d_(i)=12 times across the12 parallel polar codes; in the column 505 b under rate 1/4, each block(e.g., b₁₆, b₁₇, or b₁₈) is repeated d_(i)=4 times across the 12parallel polar codes; and in the column 505 c under rate 1/2, each block(e.g., one of b₂₃ to b₂₈) is repeated d_(i)=2 times across the 12parallel polar codes. Information bits 505 from the ProtectedInformation Section in one parallel polar code may be repeated in morethan one other parallel polar codes among the m parallel polar codes502.

Thus, the information bits 505 in Protected Information Section can beseen as being encoded using both a polar code (i.e., along thehorizontal axis) and a repetition code (i.e., along the vertical axis).Additionally, each of the m polar codes 502 includes frozen bits 503(labeled f₁-f₁₂).

It will be understood that FIG. 5 shows only one example, and that otherbit placement patterns and/or coding schemes, involving differingnumbers of parallel polar codes and differing numbers of blocks of bitsmay be used in accordance with the disclosed technology. In general,when each bit in the Protected Information Section in one parallel polarcode 502 appears in the Protected Information Section of at least oneother parallel polar code 502, some benefit is provided with respect todecoding. It will be understood that the illustrated example 500 onlyshows a simple repetition pattern of the information bits 505, but otherrepetition pattern may be used.

Let K_(d) _(i) represent the total number of non-perfectly polarized bitchannels in each polar code 502 that are protected using a repetitioncode with length d_(i). K_(d) _(i) can be calculated using anoptimization problem method as described below.

With density evolution (DE) the distribution and also probability oferror any bit channels (assuming successive-cancelation decoding) can becalculated as follows. Consider the k_(th) bit channel with densitypdf_(k) is protected with a repetition code with length d_(k). Then theresulting density pdf_(k) ^(n) can be calculated as:

${pdf}_{k}^{n} = \underset{\underset{d_{i}}{︸}}{{pdf}_{k}*{pdf}_{k}*\ldots*{pdf}_{k}}$

where “*” indicates the mathematical operation of convolution.

By using the resulting density pdf_(k) ^(n), the probability of error ofprotected bit channel can be calculated. The effective rate r of m blockof polar codes can be calculated using the following equation:

$r = {\frac{{mK}_{1} + {\Sigma_{i = 1}^{L}K_{d_{i}}\frac{m}{d_{i}}}}{Nm} = \frac{K_{1} + {\Sigma_{i = 1}^{L}K_{d_{i}}\frac{1}{d_{i}}}}{N}}$

where K₁ is number of bits without additional protection.

The optimization problem can be state as:

$\min\limits_{\underset{K_{1},K_{d_{1}},{\ldots\mspace{14mu} K_{d_{L}}}}{︸}}{FER}$${{subject}\mspace{14mu}{{to}:\frac{K_{1} + {\sum_{i = 1}^{L}{K_{d_{i}}\frac{1}{d_{i}}}}}{N}}} = r$

where FER=1−Π_(k=1) ^(Kc+K) ¹ (1−Pe(i_(k))), Kc is the total number ofbits in the non-perfectly polarized bit channels, and Pe(i_(k)) is aprobability of error of i_(k)th bit channel and can be predetermined.

Assuming the bit channels are ordered based on its reliability and moreprotection may be implemented for more unreliable bits, the FER can bewritten as:

${FER} = {1 - {\prod\limits_{k \in A_{d_{L}}}{( {1 - {\Pr( {k,d_{L}} )}} ){\prod\limits_{k \in A_{d_{L - 1}}}{( {1 - {\Pr( {k,d_{L - 1}} )}} )\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu}{\prod\limits_{k \in A_{d_{1}}}( {1 - {P{r( {k,d_{1}} )}}} )}}}}}}$

-   -   where A_(i)={N−K₁− . . . −K_(i)+1:N−K₁− . . . −K_(i)}, and Pr(k,        d_(i)) is the probability of error for k^(th) bit channel when        protected a repetition code with length d_(i).

By using Density Evaluation, an efficient method is provided herein tooptimize the number of non-perfectly polarized bit channels that needmore protection and also a degree of protection for the bit channels.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an encoding method 600 in accordance with animplementation of the disclosed technology. The encoder accepts pinformation bits and uses m parallel polar codes to encode theinformation. In step 610, the encoder distributes the p bits ofinformation to be encoded into m portions or subsets, each of which willbe encoded in one of the m parallel polar codes. Some bits ofinformation in one portion or subset from the m portions or subsets maybe repeated in another portion or subset from the m portions or subsets.In general, p and m may be selected so that this division results in anequal whole number of bits of information to be encoded in each of theparallel polar codes. Alternatively, the p information bits may bepadded to achieve such a division of the bits.

In step 620, the p/m information bits for each polar code are split(separated or treated separately) into a protected information sectionand a full rate information section. This split is performed such thatinformation bits in the protected information section may be transmittedusing non-perfectly polarized bit channels, while the information bitsin the full rate information section may be transmitted using moreperfectly polarized bit channels (e.g., having a bit channel capacity inthe range of 0.9 to 1).

In some embodiments, for each of the m parallel polar codes: thepositions in the non-perfectly polarized bit channels are grouped into aplurality of L blocks, wherein each of the plurality of L blocksincludes a subset of the information bits in the protected informationsection.

In some embodiments, a total number of the plurality of blocks in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channels in each of the m parallel polarcodes is determined based on a total number of greater-than-one factorsof m.

In step 630, the information bits in the protected information sectionof each of the m parallel polar codes are protected. To achieve this, insome implementations a repetition code such as was discussed above withreference to FIG. 5 may be used, though other protection schemes arealso possible.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated in a block of the plurality of L blocks of a secondparallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesare repeated d_(i) times in the m parallel polar codes, d_(i) being afactor of m and greater than one.

In some embodiments, the information bits in the protected informationsection of each of the m parallel polar codes are protected using aBose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code or a Reed-Muller code.

In some embodiments, the information bits in a block of the plurality ofL blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codesmay be protected using two or more protection schemes, such as arepetition code, a BCH code, and/or a Reed-Muller code.

In some embodiments, a parallel polar code in the m parallel polar codesmay be protected using a first protection scheme (e.g., a repetitioncode), while another parallel polar code in the m parallel polar codesmay be protected using a second protection scheme (e.g., a BCH orReed-Muller code).

In step 640, frozen bits are arranged into each of the m parallel polarcodes. “Arranging” here means to place or position the bits in theparallel polar codes. For example, one or more frozen bits can be addedto each of the m parallel polar codes, where each frozen bit occupies aperfectly polarized bit channel that has a bit capacity approaching 0.Although the frozen bits 503 are shown, for ease of illustration in FIG.5, as being located at the front within each m polar code, before theinformation bits 505 and 506, they may, in fact, be scattered throughoutthe information bits 505 and 506 in each polar code. Generally, thesefrozen bits may all have the same constant value of “0” or “1”, and thisvalue will be known by both the encoder and the decoder. It will beunderstood that in some implementations, other patterns of frozen bitsmay be used, provided that the value of each frozen bit is known by boththe encoder and decoder. With the frozen bits, each of the parallelcodes should have a predetermined size that is a power of 2 (i.e., thesize of the code N=2^(n), where n is an integer).

In step 650, a conventional polar encoding method is applied to each ofthe parallel polar codes to generate an encoded codeword for each of theparallel polar codes. These codewords may then be transmitted over achannel, such as a wireless channel, a cable, or an optical fiber. Thepolar encoding method may be an encoding method such as is describedabove with reference to FIG. 1, an encoding such as in described in E.Arikan, “Channel Polarization: A method for Constructing CapacityAchieving Codes for Symmetric Binary-Input Memoryless Channels,” IEEETrans. Inf. Theory, vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 3051-3073 (July 2009), or anyother known method or algorithm for polar encoding.

Using an encoder as described with reference to FIG. 6 provides for theencoding of m×(l_(protected)+l_(unprotected)) information bits, wherel_(protected) is the number of bits in the protected information sectionof each parallel polar code, l_(unprotected) is the number of bits inthe full rate information section of each parallel polar code, and m isthe number of parallel polar codes, in a total ofm×(l_(protected)+l_(unprotected)+l_(frozen)) encoded bits, wherel_(frozen) is the number of frozen bits in each parallel polar code.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a decoding method 700 in accordance withvarious implementations of the disclosed technology. As is generally thecase, the decoding is performed on codewords received over a noisychannel, with the goal of correctly decoding from the receivedcodewords, the information that was originally encoded and sent over thechannel. Thus, in step 770, the decoder receives m parallel polarcodewords 760 to be decoded. The codewords 760 are received over achannel, such as a wireless channel, a cable, or an optical fiber. Theremay have been noise or interference on the channel, meaning that some ofthe bits of the received codewords 760 may have been altered duringtransmission, and may not be the same as the bits in the codewords thatwere transmitted over the channel. Accordingly, the decoder should beable to detect and (for FEC) correct these errors.

In accordance with an implementation of the disclosed technology, thedecoding method is designed with a low complex and uses low powerdecoding using a successive-cancellation (SC) orsuccessive-cancellation-list (SCL) decoder. The method 700 isimplemented to use parallel and independent decoding of several codewords until the leaf is reached.

The method 700 is performed by a SC or SCL decoder for each codeword inthe m polar coded codewords 760, which includes a plurality of encodedbits. The encoded bit may be a frozen bit or part of a message encodedbased on a portion or subset of the p information bits as describedabove in reference to FIG. 6. In a conventional SC decoding method, forpolar codes with length of N=2″, the decoding method can be expressed asa full binary tree T_(n) of depth n. At step 710, a node in the binarytree T_(n), which may be a bit, is examined to see if it is part of aset of leaf nodes that are all frozen bits (“frozen nodes”). When thenode belongs to the set of frozen nodes, at step 720, which means theencoded bit in the respective codeword is a frozen bit, a decoded bit isgenerated in the decoded message 780 based on a predetermined value,which may be, for example, 1 or 0.

When the node does not belong to any set of frozen leaf nodes, at step730, the decoder checks to see if the node is in the protectedinformation section. When the node is in the full rate informationsection at step 740: the decoder, which can be a successive-cancellation(SC) or successive-cancellation-list (SCL) decoder, can decode the nodeusing a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) decoding algorithm to generate afirst part of a decoded message 780. A SC decoder is described, forexample, in E. Arikan, “Channel Polarization: A method for ConstructingCapacity Achieving Codes for Symmetric Binary-Input MemorylessChannels,” IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 3051-3073 (July2009). A SCL decoder is described, for example, in Tal and A. Vardy,“List decoding of polar codes”, IEEE Trans. IT, vol. 61, no. 5, pp.2213-2226, March 2015.

When the node is in the protected information section at step 750: thedecoder, which can be a successive-cancellation (SC) orsuccessive-cancellation-list (SCL) decoder, may decode the node using anaveraged LLR decoding algorithm to generate another part of the decodedmessage 780. In some embodiments, at step 750, a node with a repetitioncode with length d_(i) for a

$\frac{m}{d_{i}}$

number of information blocks may be decoded using the following averagedLLRs:

${LLR}_{k}^{n} = {\frac{1}{K}{\sum\limits_{j = {{{({k - 1})}*d_{i}} + 1}}^{k*d_{i}}{LLR}_{j}^{o}}}$

-   -   where

${1 \leq k \leq \frac{m}{d_{i}}},$

d_(i) is a total number of repetitions for the node in the m polar codedcodewords, and LLR_(j) ^(o) is the LLR of the node in the respectivecodeword j in the m polar coded codewords, j=1 . . . m. “*” indicatesthe mathematical operation of multiplication.

In some embodiments, at step 750, a node with a repetition code withlength d_(i) for a

$\frac{m}{d_{i}}$

number of information blocks may be decoded using a different decodingalgorithm, such as for example, the BCH code or the Reed-Muller code.

The decoding method 700 may perform a parallel decoding of all of the mparallel polar codewords are decoded.

FIG. 8 shows a graph 800 of simulation results of a parallel polarcoding method in accordance with an implementation of the disclosedtechnology as described above (“proposed method” curve 806), compared toan original polar code (“original polar code” curve 808), such as onesintroduced in E. Arikan, “Channel Polarization: A method forConstructing Capacity Achieving Codes for Symmetric Binary-InputMemoryless Channels,” IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol. 55, no. 7, pp.3051-3073 (July 2009). For the simulation, the polar code length N was32768 bits, with an overhead of 67%. The horizontal axis shows a biterror rate (BER) without any encoding. The vertical axis shows a biterror rate with some form of encoding.

As can be seen, the proposed method curve 806 shows an approximately0.25 dB improvement over the original polar code curve 808. As will beunderstood by one skilled in the art, this represents a significantimprovement in the performance of a forward error correction code.

It will be understood that, although the embodiments presented hereinhave been described with reference to specific features and structures,various modifications and combinations may be made without departingfrom such disclosures. The specification and drawings are, accordingly,to be regarded simply as an illustration of the discussedimplementations or embodiments and their principles as defined by theappended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and allmodifications, variations, combinations or equivalents that fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

1. A method for encoding information bits for transmission across acommunication channel, the method comprising: distributing theinformation bits between m parallel polar codes such that each of the mparallel polar codes includes a subset of the information bits;splitting the subset of information bits in each of the m parallel polarcodes into a protected information section and a full rate informationsection, information bits in the protected information section of eachof the m parallel polar codes being arranged in positions innon-perfectly polarized bit channels in the respective parallel polarcode of the m parallel polar code and grouped into a plurality of Lblocks, wherein each of the plurality of L blocks comprises a subset ofthe information bits in the protected information section for each ofthe m parallel polar codes; protecting the information bits in theprotected information section of each of the m parallel polar codes;arranging a plurality of frozen bits in each of the m parallel polarcodes; and generating a polar encoded codeword for each of the mparallel polar codes.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the information bits in the protected information section ofeach of the m parallel polar codes are protected using a repetitioncode.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information bits in a blockof the plurality of L blocks of a first parallel polar code from the mparallel polar codes are repeated in a block of the plurality of Lblocks of a second parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes.7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information bits in a block of theplurality of L blocks of a first parallel polar code from the m parallelpolar codes are repeated d_(i) times in the m parallel polar codes,d_(i) being a factor of m and greater than one.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein a total number of the plurality of blocks in thenon-perfectly polarized bit channels in each of the m parallel polarcodes is determined based on a total number of greater-than-one factorsof m.
 9. A method for decoding m polar coded codewords received over acommunication channel, each of the m polar coded codewords encodinginformation bits in a plurality of nodes, the method comprising: foreach node in each codeword from the m polar coded codewords: when thenode is in a full rate information section: decoding the node based on alog-likelihood ratio (LLR) decoding algorithm to generate a first partof a decoded message; and when the node is in a protected informationsection: decoding the node based on an averaged LLR decoding algorithmto generate a second part of the decoded message.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising, for each of the m polar coded codewords:when a bit in the respective codeword is a frozen bit, generating adecoded bit in the decoded message based on a predetermined value. 11.The method of claim 9, wherein the decoding of the node is performed bya successive-cancellation (SC) or a successive-cancellation-list (SCL).12. The method of claim 9, wherein the averaged LLR decoding algorithmis based on:${LLR}_{k}^{n} = {\frac{1}{K}{\sum\limits_{j = {{{({k - 1})}*d_{i}} + 1}}^{k*d_{i}}{LLR}_{j}^{o}}}$where ${\leq k \leq \frac{m}{d_{i}}},$ d_(i) is a total number ofrepetitions for the node in the m polar coded codewords, n representsthat LLR_(k) ^(n) are new modified LLRs, and LLR_(j) ^(o) is theoriginal LLR of the node in the respective codeword j in the m polarcoded codewords, j=1 . . . m, K represents that the number of LLRs thatare involved in averaging, and “*” here indicates the mathematicaloperation of multiplication.
 13. An encoder that encodes informationbits for transmission across a communication channel, the encodercomprising circuitry configured to: distribute the information bitsbetween m parallel polar codes such that each of the m parallel polarcodes includes a subset of the information bits; split the subset ofinformation bits in each of the m parallel polar codes into a protectedinformation section and a full rate information section, informationbits in the protected information section of each of the m parallelpolar codes being arranged in positions in non-perfectly polarized bitchannels in the respective parallel polar code of the m parallel polarcodes and grouped into a plurality of L blocks, wherein each of theplurality of L blocks comprises a subset of the information bits in theprotected information section; protect the information bits in theprotected information section of each of the m parallel polar codes;arrange a plurality of frozen bits in each of the m parallel polarcodes; and generate a polar encoded codeword for each of the m parallelpolar codes.
 14. The encoder of claim 13, wherein the circuitrycomprises at least one processor and a memory storing programmedinstructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause theat least one processor to encode the information bits.
 15. (canceled)16. (canceled)
 17. The encoder of claim 13, wherein the information bitsin the protected information section of each of the m parallel polarcodes are protected using a repetition code.
 18. The encoder of claim17, wherein the information bits in a block of the plurality of L blocksof a first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes arerepeated in a block of the plurality of L blocks of a second parallelpolar code from the m parallel polar codes.
 19. The encoder of claim 18,wherein the information bits in a block of the plurality of L blocks ofa first parallel polar code from the m parallel polar codes are repeatedd_(i) times in the m parallel polar codes, d_(i) being a factor of m andgreater than one.
 20. A decoder that decodes m polar coded codewordsreceived over a communication channel, the decoder comprising circuitryconfigured to: for each node in each codeword from the m polar codedcodewords: when the node is in a full rate information section: decodethe node based on a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) decoding algorithm togenerate a first part of a decoded message; when the node is in aprotected information section: decode the node based on an averaged LLRdecoding algorithm to generate a second part of the decoded message; andwhen a bit in the respective codeword is a frozen bit: generate adecoded bit in the decoded message based on a predetermined value. 21.The encoder of claim 13, wherein a total number of the plurality of Lblocks in the non-perfectly polarized bit channels in each of the mparallel polar codes is determined based on a total number ofgreater-than-one factors of m.